Chapter 336: Pursuing the Mystic Turtle (Two-in-One)

Chapter 336: Pursuing the Mystic Turtle (Two-in-One)



The elite army formation, consisting of tens of thousands, clashed repeatedly with the Celestial Demon Tortoise.

The intense battle raged on.

Chen Mu and Mu Ranyan were positioned over ten li apart, observing the battle while concealing their presence and movements. However, as time slowly passed, the alien army formation remained impenetrable, maintaining a defensive stance throughout. Chen Mu couldn't find an opportunity to strike.

The ideal scenario for Chen Mu would be to take advantage of the situation, assisting the Sacred Turtle in annihilating this elite alien force. By further weakening the turtle through their mutual struggle, he could potentially capture it, resulting in a significant gain.

However, this was merely an ideal situation.

With the Dark Bone Marquis nowhere to be found, the aliens remained vigilant, preventing Chen Mu from finding a suitable opportunity to strike. He chose to observe the situation from a distance, waiting for the right moment to act.

The battle raged on with fierce intensity for nearly an hour, and the alien army formation maintained its defensive stance. On the other hand, the Celestial Demon Tortoise began to show signs of exhaustion.

After all, this Sacred Turtle, despite being a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon, had been imprisoned by the Heavenly Demon Sect for over a century. Its demonic energy and blood had been continuously extracted, leaving it in a weakened state upon its escape. The prolonged battle further depleted its demon energy and aura.

However, it seemed that this very exhaustion brought about a gradual change in the Sacred Turtle's condition. The dense network of blood vessels in its enormous demon eyes, resembling copper bells, seemed to gradually subside, and the ferocity and brutality within them slowly calmed.

Finally, after another clash with the alien army formation, the Sacred Turtle let out a painful roar.

It was as if a person who had lost their sanity was gradually regaining a shred of rationality. Accompanying this painful roar, the Sacred Turtle slammed its head against the ground, causing the earth to tremble and shake.

When the Sacred Turtle lifted its head, which resembled a small mountain, its massive body no longer charged towards the alien army formation. Instead, its demon eyes revealed a hint of ferocity, and it slowly took a step back with its four legs.

Boom!!!

Seeing that the alien army formation wasn't making any significant moves, the Sacred Turtle finally turned its head and fled into the distance.

"Has it regained its senses...?" Qiu Gu Danghu's expression darkened as he raised his command flag, summoning the power of the army formation.

With the Dark Bone Marquis still absent, he dared not mobilize the army formation to surround the Sacred Turtle. Now that the Sacred Turtle seemed to have regained a shred of rationality and chose to retreat instead of fighting the formation head-on, he obviously wouldn't let it escape so easily.

Initially, he hadn't mobilized the army formation to surround the Sacred Turtle, but now, as it retreated, he didn't have time to mobilize the formation to pursue it. Even the most elite army formation had ordinary warriors at its core, those who had tempered their bodies through martial arts. In terms of speed, they were no match for a Heavenly Demon like the Sacred Turtle, even though it was already the slowest.

"Attack!" Qiu Gu Danghu shouted.

The power of the entire army formation suddenly changed, transforming from a copper wall and iron wall-like defensive stance to a surging force. Under his command flag's manipulation, the army formation's power condensed and gathered in the sky, intertwining and forming a colossal battle spear over a dozen zhang long. It emitted a crimson light, and within it, a formidable battle intent and killing aura coalesced.

With a wave of his command flag, the battle spear, which had condensed the power of the entire army formation, shot forward, tearing through the air. It carried an overwhelming force, as if capable of leveling cities and splitting the earth, and pierced towards the fleeing Celestial Demon Tortoise.

"Roar!!!"

The Sacred Turtle sensed the approaching power of the army formation. The battle spear, which had gathered the strength of tens of thousands of elite warriors, including hundreds of Six Viscera Realm experts and several grandmasters, was not as refined as a true Blood Replacement Realm expert. However, it made up for this with sheer force and quantity, making it a formidable strike against the Sacred Turtle.

The Sacred Turtle's massive size and slow movement made evasion nearly impossible at this distance.

With a roar, the Sacred Turtle stomped its hind legs, causing the ground to shatter and erupt in waves. Amidst the surging water, it lashed out with its long tail, tearing through the air with a fierce strike, aiming to hit the massive battle spear.

The black shadow-like tail moved with incredible speed, almost invisible to the naked eye, and in an instant, it collided with the crimson battle spear.

Whack!

A piercing crack echoed through the heavens, a fierce lash of the whip.

Although the crimson battle spear possessed immense power, its force paled in comparison to the Sacred Turtle's tail strike, which cleaved it in half from the center! However, the army formation's power was extraordinary, and even as the spear broke in half, the front section maintained its momentum, piercing through the air and impaling the Sacred Turtle's shell.

Boom!

The impact resonated like a struck copper bell, causing a painful roar from the Sacred Turtle. Its shell was pierced by the front half of the spear, which penetrated nearly ten feet into its back!

Since the crimson battle spear was merely a manifestation of the army formation's power, it dissipated and vanished after piercing the Sacred Turtle's shell and causing a visible wound.

After that strike, the Mystic Turtle showed no signs of lingering and quickly fled with a powerful leap, its massive body resembling a small mountain. In the blink of an eye, it became a blurry shadow, swiftly disappearing into the distance.

Although it wasn't as fast on land compared to Blood Replacement Realm experts, its speed far exceeded those in the Five Viscera Realm. Previously, it couldn't catch up to Mu Ranyan because it was less adept at flying through the air. If it ran on the ground, even Mu Ranyan would struggle to match its speed, which was at least on par with some Grandmasters.

Qiu Gu Commander watched as the Mystic Turtle escaped, his face turning grim.

Without deploying an army formation to surround the Mystic Turtle earlier, it was now impossible to catch up unless the Grandmasters abandoned the formation and pursued it individually.

However, even with the Mystic Turtle's current injuries and exhaustion, they still lacked the confidence to handle it. If they got too close, the Mystic Turtle could easily kill them with a swing of its tail. The vast gap between their strengths meant they could only withstand its power with the army formation.

The most crucial concern was the prolonged absence of Dark Bone Marquis, which further heightened his sense of foreboding.

The pursuit of two Wind and Cloud Rankings figures should not have taken this long. With the Dark Bone Marquis's strength, even if he encountered a Seven Xuan Sect ambush underground, he should have been able to retreat safely. Yet, since the battle began, there had been no news.

Without a clear understanding of the situation, he dared not take the risk of chasing after the Mystic Turtle. He had no choice but to let it escape.

The other Grandmasters in the army formation also wore grim expressions, feeling helpless.

Engaging in an unexpected battle with a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon Turtle had resulted in significant casualties among their soldiers. If they could have killed the turtle, it would have made up for the losses or even provided some benefits. However, they could only watch helplessly as the Mystic Turtle escaped, feeling like victims of a senseless disaster, completely played in the palm of its hand.

None of them had a better solution, and no one dared to leave the formation to pursue the Mystic Turtle.

...

A dozen miles away, between the hills.

Chen Mu and Mu Ranyan witnessed the entire battle between the Mystic Turtle and the alien army formation. As the Mystic Turtle finally stopped fighting and fled, Chen Mu spoke up, "It seems the Mystic Turtle has regained some sanity."

Mu Ranyan nodded slightly, gazing at the escaping Mystic Turtle. She said, "After all, it's a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon. No matter how cunning the Heavenly Demon Sect's methods are, they can't control it forever."

"Mmm, Sister Mu Ranyan, you should return first. I'll see if there's a chance to capture this Mystic Turtle."

Chen Mu addressed Mu Ranyan as he prepared to act.

The alien army formation still showed no weaknesses, and he had no interest in risking a frontal assault. However, the Mystic Turtle posed little threat to him, especially now that it was injured. He could try to counter-hunt it and see if he could capture it.

A Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon was a significant resource for even a major sect like the Seven Xuan Sect, let alone for an individual. If he could capture it and utilize its resources, advancing his Heaven and Earth Body Tempering to a high level would be much easier.

"Be careful."

Mu Ranyan understood that chasing after the Mystic Turtle was beyond her qualifications.

As she finished speaking, Chen Mu transformed into a shadow, vanishing without a trace. He was gone from her senses in an instant.

Watching Chen Mu disappear, Mu Ranyan couldn't help but feel amazed. When they first entered Ice Province, she believed that Chen Mu's strength was on par with hers. However, in less than a few months, her perception of Chen Mu's abilities had changed drastically. In the blink of an eye, Chen Mu was even attempting to hunt down a Mystic Turtle, a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon.

She took a deep breath, calming herself. After a glance at the distant alien army formation, she retreated into the hills, disappearing from sight.

---

In the wilderness, Chen Mu concealed his presence and took a step, covering a hundred zhang in a single stride, silently following the Mystic Turtle from behind.

Although the Mystic Turtle's running speed on land was not slow, Chen Mu could easily keep up. His speed was unmatched among Grandmasters.

As the Mystic Turtle moved further away, running westward, Chen Mu gradually closed the distance. Then, a faint light flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly appeared above the Mystic Turtle's back. His right hand swiftly struck with a fist seal, aiming for the wound on the Mystic Turtle's back, where it had been pierced by the alien army formation's spear!

"Roar..."

The Mystic Turtle let out a low growl.

A dark shadow flashed by, launching a mid-air strike that met Chen Mu's fist. It was its incredibly agile and swift tail, once again lashing out like a whip and colliding with Chen Mu's fist.

Boom!!

The boom reverberated as the black shadow's tail was struck and deflected, while Chen Mu somersaulted in the air, retreating over ten zhang.

"So it's a Celestial Demon..."

Chen Mu gazed at the Sacred Tortoise, murmuring.

Having cultivated the Heaven-Earth Body, Chen Mu's ability to conceal his aura was unparalleled in the world. He had approached within a few dozen zhang of the Sacred Tortoise without being detected, but even so, as soon as he made his move, the tortoise reacted in time to defend itself.

Despite its massive and clumsy body, its tail was as flexible as a snake's, possessing extreme agility and even greater speed than Chen Mu. It could easily strike from any direction, and despite a wound on its back, it wasn't easily suppressed.

The Sacred Tortoise's large, demonic eyes fixed on Chen Mu with a threatening gaze, but it didn't continue attacking him. Instead, it resumed its forward sprint, clearly having regained its sanity and no longer in a state of madness where it would fight to the death at the sight of a human. Its weakness and injuries left it without any desire to fight, and it only wanted to find a large river to hide in.

"..."

Chen Mu glanced at his right hand.

Earlier, when the Sacred Tortoise was chasing Murong Yan, Chen Mu had engaged it in the sky, and though he was slightly inferior, he had sustained some injuries. But in this exchange, he emerged unscathed, clearly feeling that the Sacred Tortoise had indeed weakened.

After being confined for a century and engaging in a fierce battle with the elite forces of the alien tribes for a couple of hours, it was inevitable that the Sacred Tortoise would sustain some damage. At the very least, the current Sacred Tortoise didn't pose a significant threat to Chen Mu.

However, it was undeniable that this Sacred Tortoise was the most challenging opponent Chen Mu had encountered in his martial journey.

All his previous opponents, regardless of who they were, couldn't withstand more than a few rounds against him. Only this Sacred Tortoise, through repeated clashes, still didn't give Chen Mu absolute confidence in defeating it. All he could do was give it his best shot.

"I'll give it my all."

Chen Mu's gaze remained calm as he looked at the Sacred Tortoise.

After all, if there was a chance, he had to try. If, in the end, he couldn't spare this Sacred Tortoise, then so be it. After all, he had only recently become a Grandmaster, while the Sacred Tortoise was an unparalleled Celestial Demon, surpassing even Blood Replacement Realm beings.

Buzz!

Chen Mu no longer concealed his attack, and now that he was revealed, he unleashed his full power. He drew the Earth Spirit Lance, obtained from Bone Piercing Marquis, from behind and, with both hands raised, he thrust it towards the wound on the Sacred Tortoise's back.

The original Sacred Tortoise not only possessed greater strength than Chen Mu, but also had no vulnerabilities. Now, due to the wound on its back, it had a weakness, and Chen Mu's attacks naturally aimed at its weak point!

Swish!

The Earth Spirit Lance, imbued with Earthly power, had some differences from the Earthly Essence, and it also contained a portion of 'Life-Nurturing' and 'Desire for Union'. But Chen Mu, having mastered the complete Heaven-Earth Concept, could wield it with ease.

The so-called 'Desire for Union' was a derivative of Yin-Yang, and 'Life-Nurturing' was also a part of life and death. Chen Mu had been practicing with this spirit lance for some time now, and he was already familiar with its power, using it effortlessly.

Slap!

The Sacred Tortoise, in response to Chen Mu's lance, once again lashed out with its tail, like a shadow, whipping through the air and clashing with Chen Mu's Earth Spirit Lance, creating a dull thud and a buzzing sound that caused the massive body of the Sacred Tortoise to sink slightly, seemingly bearing a significant amount of pressure.

However, the effect ended there, and after a brief moment of sinking, the Sacred Tortoise continued its westward escape.

But in its enormous demonic eyes, the gaze towards Chen Mu revealed a human-like 'anger', clearly irritated by Chen Mu's actions.

If it were in its prime or dwelling in the boundless sea, Chen Mu's strength would be insignificant, and it could easily crush him.

But now,

The surrounding area was a vast wasteland, let alone an endless sea. Even a large river wasn't in sight, and the Sacred Tortoise, weakened and injured, had no choice but to retreat.

"Roar..."

The Sacred Tortoise let out a threatening roar towards Chen Mu but continued to avoid engaging him.

Chen Mu was undeterred by its threats and wouldn't let it go easily. He continued to wield the Earth Spirit Lance, clashing fiercely with the tortoise, their battle echoing with booms across the frozen wasteland, cracking the earth into fragments.

However, the Sacred Tortoise didn't stop to engage, only using its tail to block Chen Mu's attacks and occasionally forcing him to yield with its massive body. It continued its westward escape, leaving a long trail across the wasteland.

And so,

The Sacred Tortoise fled, with Chen Mu in pursuit, their intense battle raging on.

After an unknown amount of time, at the edge of the wasteland, a thick water vapor rose, and from above, a hundred-zhang wide river could be seen, flowing across the wasteland, extending far into the distance.

At this moment, Chen Mu still held the Earth Spirit Lance, with faint traces of blood visible on his body and a slight rise and fall of his chest. His aura was slightly more chaotic than before, indicating that dealing with a Sacred Turtle of this level was somewhat challenging even for his current Heaven and Earth Body.

The Sacred Turtle wasn't faring much better. The wound on its back had visibly enlarged, revealing torn flesh and even the writhing of its internal organs. Blood flowed freely from the wound, seeping down its shell. Its demonic energy had become somewhat chaotic as well.

"So it was indeed heading for the Cold River..."

Chen Mu stood in the air, holding his spear, his gaze fixed on the distant river.

Although he hadn't physically traversed every inch of Ice Province, Chen Mu had long memorized its map and was unlikely to mistake the major rivers.

Previously, the Sacred Turtle had fled westward, leading Chen Mu to suspect that it might be heading for the Cold River. This river was the closest to their previous location, flowing towards the province's icy mountains, earning its name for its frigid waters.

However, whether the river was cold or not didn't matter to the Sacred Turtle; it only needed a river large enough to accommodate its massive size.

The Cold River, though not particularly wide at about a hundred zhang, was just large enough for the Sacred Turtle's body, which spanned several dozen zhang. This was enough for it to maneuver freely, and once it reached the river, its power and agility would far surpass what it could achieve on land. It would no longer fear Chen Mu's pursuit and would truly be free.

Chen Mu, having chased the Sacred Turtle this far, was determined not to give up easily. He took a deep breath, gathering his Primordial Essence True Force, and continued attacking with his spear, attempting to stop the Sacred Turtle before it reached the river.

However, as the Sacred Turtle caught sight of the Cold River, it too displayed an unprecedented level of excitement. Having been imprisoned for a century, it now sensed the breath of freedom. It exerted all its strength, using its tail to protect the wound on its back, ignoring Chen Mu's other attacks. It forcefully endured and continued charging towards the river.

Seeing the Sacred Turtle's reckless charge, Chen Mu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If it had another hundred li of space, the Sacred Turtle might not have been able to withstand the pursuit. But at this moment, it was impossible to stop it from reaching the river.

Boom!!!

As the Cold River came into view, Chen Mu took a deep breath, gripping the Earth Spirit Lance with both hands. The lance emitted a heavy pressure, and the vast power of heaven and earth converged upon it, accompanied by the burst of Primordial Essence True Force. Chen Mu swung the lance towards the Sacred Turtle below, unleashing a strike imbued with the Heaven-Earth Seal, its might overwhelming.

The Sacred Turtle let out a long roar, its tail lashing out again. It collided with Chen Mu's Earth Spirit Lance, but after a resounding boom, the weak and injured tail was forcefully knocked aside by Chen Mu's lance.

However, this tail strike caused Chen Mu's lance to deviate slightly, missing the wound on the Sacred Turtle's shell.

Boom!!!

The lance's overwhelming power struck the Sacred Turtle's massive body, spanning several dozen zhang, causing its hind legs to buckle. It nearly knelt, half-submerged in the frozen ground.

But in the end, the Sacred Turtle managed to withstand the blow. Its hind legs, buried in the frozen earth, exerted tremendous force, lifting its enormous body into the air. It soared towards the nearby Cold River like a mountain breaking free.

"It's finally over... Hmm?"

As Chen Mu witnessed this scene, he shook his head slightly. Suddenly, his gaze shifted, and he stood frozen in place, slowly tilting his head upwards, looking towards the sky ahead.

His senses detected an overwhelming surge of Heavenly Essence, a vast and mighty force that felt familiar, as he had recently parted ways with Murong Yan. However, this Heavenly Essence didn't belong to Murong Yan.

To describe it.

Murong Yan's mastery of Heavenly Essence was like a flickering star in the night sky, while this sudden burst of Heavenly Essence was akin to a blazing sun.

The grandeur and boundlessness of this force seemed to tear apart the entire sky, the most expansive and awe-inspiring display of Heavenly Essence Chen Mu had ever encountered. It exuded an unmatched, invincible aura.

Whoosh!!!

The Sacred Turtle's massive body had nearly reached the Cold River's airspace, but its enormous form suddenly froze in midair, as if the sky and earth had been severed, leaving it suspended between them.

Below, the surging hundred-zhang Cold River also came to a halt. The rushing waters stopped flowing, as if gravity had vanished, transforming into droplets of crystal-clear water that hung suspended in the air.

Bang.

In the end, the Sacred Turtle's mountain-like body was forcefully flipped over from the Cold River, soaring hundreds of zhang into the air. It tumbled and eventually fell, crashing into the frozen ground below.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end